Shockwave Therapy
Acoustic wave therapy for stubborn tendon, heel, and joint pain — including plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, tendinosis, and golfer’s elbow — that restarts your body’s natural healing process.
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A personal starting point.
Our office offers shockwave therapy using equipment from Shockwave of America. Contact us to discuss evaluation, suitability, and what to expect.
What is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy — also called extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) — is a non-invasive treatment that uses high-energy acoustic (sound) waves to heal stubborn soft-tissue injuries. It was adapted from the same technology used to break up kidney stones, and it has been used for decades in orthopedics and sports medicine, especially for tendon and heel problems that have not responded to rest, ice, and stretching. Our office uses equipment from Shockwave of America.
How it works
A handheld applicator is placed on the skin over the injured area, and rapid pulses of acoustic energy travel deep into the tissue. Those waves create a controlled mechanical stimulus that restarts the healing process in tissue that has gotten “stuck”: blood flow increases, new blood vessels form, growth factors and stem-cell activity are stimulated, chronic inflammation is modulated, and built-up calcifications can break down. Shockwave also temporarily over-stimulates pain fibers, which can reduce pain sensitivity in the area. A session usually takes about 5–10 minutes per area, feels like strong tapping, and requires no anesthesia and no downtime — most people return to normal activity right away, with mild soreness possible for a day or two.
Conditions shockwave therapy is commonly used for
- Plantar fasciitis and heel spurs
- Achilles tendinitis and tendinosis
- Patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee)
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy
- Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder
- Hip pain and greater trochanteric pain syndrome (gluteal tendinopathy)
- Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
- Hamstring tendinopathy
- IT band syndrome
- Chronic muscle trigger points and tightness
- Stress fractures and slow-healing bone stress injuries
- Scar tissue and chronic soft-tissue pain
Tendinitis and tendinosis are where shockwave shines most: these are overuse injuries where the tendon has started to break down faster than it can repair itself, and the acoustic waves are specifically aimed at restarting that repair. A typical plan is a short series of weekly sessions, and suitability is confirmed at your evaluation.